A group of 231 faith leaders from across the state are offering their “unwavering support” of Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-Newark), who was charged with assaulting an ICE officer at an immigration detention facility in her home city of Newark earlier this month.
“The charges brought against her in connection with the events at Delaney Hall are a misrepresentation, and an injustice to the character, service, and dedication she has shown to the communities she has long served with honor,” the clergy members, including Rev. Al Sharpton, said in a joint letter. “These charges cannot be interpreted as anything other than a politically motivated campaign designed to tarnish the reputation of a public servant who has tirelessly fought for justice and equity.”
Among the signers of the letter are Rev. Louise Scott-Rountree, a Newark city councilwoman, Rev. Charles Franklin Boyer, the pastor of the Greater Mt. Zion Church in Trenton and the leader of Salvation and Social Justice, and Rev. Ronald Saunders, the pastor of the St. James AME Church in Newark…